New York City (Fodor's, 2012) - Fodor's [109]
Adventurous programming of jazz, classical, early and modern music, and dance continues at the Miller Theatre (Columbia University,2960 Broadway, at W. 116th St., Morningside Heights | 10027 | 212/854–1633, 212/854–7799 box office | www.millertheatre.com | Subway: 1 to 116th St.). A well-designed 688-seater, this is a hall that rewards serious listeners.
Performance Centers
Fodor’s Choice | Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (W. 62nd to W. 66th Sts., Broadway/Columbus Ave. to Amsterdam Ave., Upper West Side | 10023 | 212/875–5456 Customer Service daily 9–9, 212/721–6500 CenterCharge, 212/875–5375 for accessibility information | www.lincolncenter.org | Subway: 1 to 66th St./Lincoln Center) is the uncontested star of New York City’s performance universe. Just in time for its 50th anniversary—which coincided with the 2009–2010 season—the wraps came off most of the construction geared to improving and enhancing its timeless, elegant buildings. And from the moment you approach the main plaza and its exuberant centerpiece, the Revson Fountain, it’s clear the revitalization effort has more than succeeded.
Rising in stages from 1962 to 1969, the sprawling 16-acre campus was aptly built on the once gritty urban grounds that set the scene for the deeply energized music and dance in West Side Story. The predominantly white, travertine-clad buildings were originally designed by a host of “who”s in 20th-century architecture, all of whom applied a classical aesthetic to their cleanly modern structures.
Formal and U-shaped, the massive Avery Fisher Hall (Columbus Ave., at W. 65th St. | 212/875–5030) opened in 1962. Then known as Philharmonic Hall, the 2,738-seater’s original design, by Max Abramovitz, was given an overhaul in 1976 by Philip Johnson and John Burgee, resulting in the much-improved acoustics that draw the world’s greatest musicians today.
Avery Fisher is home to the stellar New York Philharmonic (212/875–5656 | nyphil.org), which Alan Gilbert conducts to great acclaim from late September to early June. Orchestra rehearsals at 9:45 am are open to the public on selected weekday mornings (usually Wednesday or Thursday) for $18. A popular Young People’s Concert series is offered on Saturday afternoon, four times throughout the season. In August, Lincoln Center’s longest-running classical series, the Mostly Mozart Festival (212/875–5399), captures the crowds.
A handful of Mozart festival events are held at Alice Tully Hall (1941 Broadway, at W. 65th St. | 212/671–4050), but its primary resident is the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (212/875–5788 | www.chambermusicsociety.org). The hall is considered to be as acoustically perfect as a concert hall can get. It was designed in 1969 by Pietro Belluschi for a music and film audience of 1,100, and was an instant success.
When it reopened for the spring 2009 season, after a hiatus for an aesthetic (and acoustic) transformation by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, it’s fair to say event goers were utterly transfixed with its new transparency. The once rather subdued facade has become an angular glass beacon, with an illuminated indoor rehearsal space and lobby.
Just down the street is the lovely 250-seat Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse (165 W. 65th St., between Broadway and Amsterdam Ave.),a high-rise space for intimate chamber ensembles.
The 3,800-seat Metropolitan Opera House(30 Lincoln Center Plaza, Columbus Ave., between W. 62nd and W. 65th Sts. | 212/362–6000) with its suitably luxe Austrian-crystal chandeliers and immense, multistory Marc Chagall paintings, premiered in 1966.
The titan of American opera companies and an institution since its founding in 1883, the Metropolitan Opera (212/362–6000 | www.metfamilyopera.org) brings the world’s leading singers to the vast stage here from October to April. The company’s music director and principal conductor, James Levine, despite ongoing health challenges, ensures that the Met’s orchestra rivals the world’s finest symphonies; its programming eagerly embraces the 21st century.